Thursday, December 29, 2011

I found another shop on Etsy, once again, that I want you to know about! It's called SceeneShoes, and while the shoes are cool, the bras are even better. That is, if you have a sense of humor. I think these would make also make a great gift for any girl who has a sense of humor! Here's the link:

By the way, I'm surviving my diet. :) Today I had a turkey sandwich and I mixed Benefiber in my water. (Kiwi Strawberry) It is the yummiest stuff in the whole world! Benefiber is seriously better than Kool-Aid.

I know, I know. I'm trying to get skinny right now, so making this is out of the question. BUT you can still make it and tell what you think of it! I found this awesome recipe on mixthatdrink.com, and I was too excited to just let it sit there and not be shared with the world. :)

First of all, aren't the colors amazing? They look just like the Jolly Rancher colors! Okay, here is the recipe as shown on mixthatdrink.com.

I bought more than I actually needed: a 1.75 liter bottle of vodka and a 3.75 pound bag of Jolly Ranchers. With this, I could easily have made two batches (that is, two flasks in each Jolly Ranchers flavor) and still have had a bit left.

Here’s what you actually need:

A regular 750 milliliter bottle of vodka. A liter of vodka (see comment here). You may have to buy a 1.75 liter bottle to get it. No need to spend much on the vodka – just choose one that goes down reasonably smoothly, for minimal interference with the intense Jolly Rancher flavor. I used Svedka, and it was very nice.

12 Jolly ranchers in each flavor you want to infuse (that’s 60 Jolly ranchers all together). The 3.75 pound bag I bought had at least 40 of each flavor, so a couple of pounds of assorted Jolly Ranchers ought to do it.

Five flasks to pour it in. (Since everyone always asks, I got these beautiful flasks fromThe Container Store. The ones I used hold 8.5 ounces, which is a nice amount.

Optional: a funnel to assist with pouring the vodka into the narrow necks on the flasks.

Optional: something like a plastic sheet or newspaper over your counter, because little bits of Jolly Rancher fall out of the wrappers and stick to everything.

Step 1: Sort the Jolly Ranchers

Separate your Jolly Ranchers by color/flavor.

Step 2: Put Jolly Ranchers in flasks

Put twelve Jolly Ranchers of each flavor into each flask. Yes, you can put them directly into the flask instead of into a mixing container. The reason? Because you’re not going to have to skim anything out of it, like you do with waxy candies like Skittles. Every bit of the Jolly Ranchers – which are mostly corn syrup, sugar, flavorings and colors – belongs in the final product here. And that’s why this process is so much easier than a lot of candy infusions.

Once you’re done, you should have five flasks with beautiful colored candies in the bottom.

Step 3: Pour the vodka

Next up, you pour the vodka into the flasks over the candies. Stick a funnel (optional) into the neck of each flask, and pour your vodka down it. I filled mine to the top of the neck.

They start taking on the color of the vodka immediately, as it begins breaking down the candies. There’s no need to shake them or anything – just let them sit for about eight to twelve hours, and all the candy will dissolve completely with no mess, and nothing stuck to the glass.

Step 4: Chill!

Put your flasks into the freezer and let them chill for a couple of hours. Now they’re really ready for use.

What you have in your flasks now is nearly pure vodka, so they’re very strong on the alcohol. The flavors are exactly what you’d expect: at first, you just taste the Jolly Ranchers in liquid form, exactly like the candies always tasted. Then the vodka kicks in with its characteristic flavorless burn. You can definitely drink these straight up as flavored martinis or shooters, and they’re a lot of fun.

You could also mix them into some cocktails:

Make a Raspberry Kamikaze with Blue Raspberry Jolly Ranchers Vodka in place of the chambord. You’ll end up with a blue cocktail instead of a deep red one, but the taste is very similar and fantastic.

Replace the vodka in a Tokyo Iced Tea with Apple Jolly Ranchers Vodka. It’ll go nicely with the kiwi liqueur.

This is a Weight Watcher's recipe. You bake these homemade cheese sticks, but they taste like they've been fried! I might know the difference, but my tastebuds won't! In case you haven't read a few of my previous posts, my dad and I are having a weight loss competition right now, so I'm verrrrry into anything low-calorie!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon of oregano; set pan over low heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine bread, remaining teaspoon of oregano and thyme; process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Place crumbs in a shallow bowl. (Tip: Use the ends of the loaf of bread for the bread crumbs since those slices are often uneaten). Coat cheese sticks with egg mixture (you won’t use it all). Transfer cheese to bread crumb mixture and turn to coat. Arrange cheese on prepared baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with warmed tomato sauce on the side. Yeah, baby!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I stopped by Goodwill today and had such great luck! Please excuse the poor quality of my pictures. I had to take the pictures with my phone because I left my camera at work! But anyway, I got the cutest cardigan for $5.99! Guess how much it was originally? $69.00! I couldn't believe it still had the tags and all. What luck. :)

The old faded price....

The new amazing price!

Sorry, sorry. As soon as I get my camera, I will take new pictures and replace these crappy ones. I just had to share my excitement immediately. :)

I found this blog, and I can't get enough of it! This girl has the cutest style! I want to take my wardrobe and re-fashion it all into her cute outfits. I see so many things that I have that are similar to hers, and well she just knows how to put the pieces together! This girl has some serious style! I posted the link to her blog, and I suggest you go take a look at it. :) Here are a few of my favorites from her blog:

Isn't she just adorable? And once again, I am thinking about dying my hair red. I'm sure you guys have begun to notice my inner battle with hair-dying. lol

Have you ever tried sweetening your coffee or sweet tea with Stevia or Splenda instead of sugar? It's soooo good. I like Splenda the best, but Stevia is all-natural, which is awesome. :)

I'm doing pretty good with my weight loss competition. I had a grapefruit and an orange this morning. Then for lunch, I had fresh green beans. I cut off the stems, poured a half a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, and cooked the green beans for a few minutes. I seasoned it with garlic and pepper. It was SO good! Dieting is not as bad as I have always made it out to be. I am making my sugar-free sweet tea right now, and I'm quite excited! I love when something tastes sugary, but it's actually not! :)

Guess what? My husband and I opened a business about a month ago, and you should realllllly try it because it is awesome. We have a cryosauna, which is so good for your health and also your appearance. Here is the link to the website: www.cryo-x.com

My dad and I are having a weight loss competition. Luckily it is by percentage and not pounds, otherwise I'd be screwed. The competition ends on February 1st, and I'm going to keep you guys updated. We started the contest the day after Christmas, and I got sick unfortunately, so I haven't been able to start running. My stupid fever keeps coming back every night! BUT I have been eating healthy, and I am proud to say I have lost ONE pound. (hey, it's better than nothing! lol)

My dad, on the other hand, has lost 2.5 pounds, so I have some serious catching up to do. I get to see the doctor today at 5:30, so hopefully he'll give me some medicine or a shot or something and I can start losing weight faster! Here is my plan:

No sodas
LOTS of fruits and vegetables
No beef
Lots of fish, and a little chicken
LOTS of water
No candy or cookies

Also...
1,000 crunches a day (not all at once, but all throughout the day)
1,000 leglifts a day (I always do these anyway while brushing my teeth) I just need to up the amount!
I will also run one mile a day, then increase as the days go on. (hopefully to 3 or 4!)
I might do a few of my workout videos, some of which have never been opened....lol

So...If any of you feel like joining me in my efforts to be fit and skinny, feel free to join and we can keep each other motivated! If anyone has any advice, I would LOVE to hear it! Thanks!!!! :)

This is a pic of me from about 6 years ago...ignore the guy in the pic. He is no longer in my life! But anyway, I actually thought I was fat. I was crazy. Now, this is the body I want again! I know it's in here....somewhere. :)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I'm a 90's girl. I remember the crazy 90's fads during elementary school. Some were awful, but some were not so bad. They're back in style now! Well, if you are thinking you could use some "vintage" 90's clothes, check out this girl's shop. Here are a few of my favorites from her shop!

See? It's all kinda tacky, yet unique and reminiscent of the past. I like that. lol Penguins on a cardigan? Yes please! :)